G’morning! My blind tea grab today got me this sample, courtesy of The LiberTEAS Sample Box that I purchased a little while ago.

The dry leaf’s aroma is sort of a generic “sweet,” maybe a hint of caramel. I didn’t get any nuttiness or chocolate. Brewed, the chocolate made its appearance in the fragrance, but I still didn’t really get any nuttiness.

Chocolate is the strongest flavour I got from my unsweetened cup, followed by a bit of caramel complaining about how I couldn’t expect it to play its role well if I wouldn’t give it any sugar (it had a point). The nuts apparently called in sick, or quit or something. After sweetening my tea, I finally got the caramel I really wanted, but honestly, I think that’s more because I used dulce de leche as my sweetener than that the tea did its job.

In the end, I just had to work too hard for this, and even then it was only mediocre. After being blown away recently by some Della Terra Teas blends, I’m just not willing to put in so much effort to get a cup with lackluster flavour.

Veronica and Ellyn: lol and thanks so much! LiberTEAS: Hey, no worries, are you kidding? This is awesome! I was having a look through the other tasting notes and I thought I saw someone saying that Ovation don’t offer samples, so you have to get a bunch of tea at once? This tea’s name and description are so great, that I would’ve done just that, and I would’ve regretted it. Your sample boxes are the best thing ever and, wallet permitting, you can bet I’m going to pounce as soon as you’ve got more of ’em. I can always add this to a swap list and pass it along to someone else. =)

Veronica and Ellyn: lol and thanks so much! LiberTEAS: Hey, no worries, are you kidding? This is awesome! I was having a look through the other tasting notes and I thought I saw someone saying that Ovation don’t offer samples, so you have to get a bunch of tea at once? This tea’s name and description are so great, that I would’ve done just that, and I would’ve regretted it. Your sample boxes are the best thing ever and, wallet permitting, you can bet I’m going to pounce as soon as you’ve got more of ’em. I can always add this to a swap list and pass it along to someone else. =)

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2012.10.07: I hear people like to understand other people’s ratings, so here’s a loose guide:

01-29: Dear God, why.
30-49: I’ll finish this cup, I guess, but no more.
50-59: Meh.
60-69: Decent. Maybe I can blend it with something else and make it better.
70-79: Heeey, this is quite good!
80-89: I love it, but I’m not in love with it.
90-100: Permanently resident in my Happy Place.

Update: I have steeped, and it was good. =] Still a tea-ophyte, though.

This is a tea site, so I feel like “well, I’m Indian” should be enough of an introduction. Because, I mean, it’s kind of in my genes, right? But the fact of the matter is that I’m an absolute tea-ophyte.

I’ve just discovered a world beyond Celestial Seasonings. I’ve just discovered “sachets” instead of “normal” tea bags and bought my first loose tea sampler. I don’t get the whole water temperature and steep time thing yet, nor that if I want to get a yixiang tea pot, I’d need one for each type of tea. I have this infuser ball thing, but I haven’t used it yet.

Don’t cringe, but right now I’m still just boiling water and pouring it over a teabag, adding some sugar, and drinking a nice, hot cuppa. I’d like to learn more, I think, and I’d like to train my palate. I figure participating in this community is the best way to do that.